Pottstown Firebirds
The Pottstown Firebirds were a professional American football minor league team and member of the Atlantic Coast Football League from 1968 to 1970. The Pottstown Firebirds were former NFL football players, former college football players, and former high school football players that loved to play the game of football. The Firebirds were originally a "farm club" of the Philadelphia Eagles and were provided with equipment/helmets already emblazoned with Eagle wings. Only a few Firebirds ever moved up to NFL teams. The Firebirds affiliation with the Philadelphia Eagles was short-lived and was withdrawn in 1970. The Pottstown Firebirds home field was located at the Pottstown High School and it still exists to this day. In their final two seasons of existence in Pottstown (1969 and 1970), the Firebirds won the league championship. In 1971, the Firebirds merged with the Norfolk Neptunes and left Pottstown. (That year, the Seaboard Football League established the Schuylkill County Coal Crackers as a replacement team; the Coal Crackers moved to Reading after one season, bringing an end to professional football in Pottstown.) After the collapse of the ACFL a couple of years later, the World Football League sprang up. Many of the Pottstown Firebirds went on to play for the Philadelphia Bell as described in Vince Papale's book Invincible. Ron Waller, former Head Offensive Coach of the Firebirds, moved on to become Head Coach of the Philadelphia Bell in 1974. The Firebirds were perhaps best remembered as the subject of a 1970 NFL Films documentary Pro Football, Pottstown, Pa. which documented the ties between the minor league club, its players, and their hometown of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Of particular note was the portrayal of the Firebirds' star quarterback, King Corcoran. "The King" was considered the "Poor Man's Joe Namath" and had stints on the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles before landing in Pottstown. In 2000 NFL Films returned to Pottstown for an episode of their Lost Treasures series. Pottstown Revisited covered some surviving players reminiscing about their days on the team, remembered the town's relationship with the long-gone /football team, and filmed a 30-year player reunion. Funding Bob "Chuz" Calvario and Al Cavallo were credited with founding the Firebirds minor league football franchise in Pottstown. To raise funds, Calvario and Cavallo assembled a group of local investors that all put up a few hundred dollars each and they also sold public stock. In order to secure a franchise, $10,000 was needed to post a performance bond with the ACFL. The franchise was secured but the group fell short of meeting their financial goals to fund an entire team until the entry of local millionaire Ed Gruber. The Pottstown Firebirds financial short-comings were over as Gruber put up the cash to attract the best minor league players money could buy. Ultimately, Gruber became the team owner and called all the shots. Key Landmarks The Downtown Motor Inn's name has since gone but the hotel at High and Manatawny Streets still exists. The Firebirds and Staff lived there during the season. The Firebird's "Roost" was a home near Hanover and Third Streets where a number of the Firebirds players lived. The "Roost" was later torn down and no longer exists today. The Elks Home, 61 High Street, was the location where important team meetings took place and where the Firebirds ate a number of their meals. The Elks Home is still in operation today. Pottstown High School - Firebird home games were played at the high school football stadium that is used to this day. Firebird team players used the high school locker room in the basement for practices and games. Not sure if the old locker room in the basement still exists today (2012) as the school had undergone renovations in the past few years. Bellewood Country Club - Both mansions at this country club belonged to Gruber and was later purchased by investors to develop the location into a golf course. 1970 Season 11 Wins & 1 loss 09/12/70 Firebirds-41 Roanoke Buckskins-0 09/19/70 Firebirds-38 Richmond Saints-10 09/26/70 Firebirds-24 Indianapolis Caps-9 10/03/70 Firebirds-20 Jersey Jays-9 10/09/70 Firebirds-30 Bridgeport Jets-26 10/17/70 Firebirds-36 Hartford Knights-27 10/31/70 Firebirds-35 Norfolk Neptunes-24 11/07/70 Firebirds-14 Orlando Panthers-12 11/14/70 Firebirds-34 Indianapolis Caps-13 11/20/70 Firebirds-22 Long Island Bulls-13 11/29/70 Firebirds-7 Norfolk Neptunes-22 12/06/70 Firebirds-18 Richmond Saints-0 Championship Game 12/12/70 Firebirds-31 Hartford Knights-0 1970 Player's Roster Adams, Ernie - Offensive Guard Allen, Buddy - Defensive Back Alley, Don - Tight End Barber, John - Offensive Guard Barnhorst, Dick - Wide Receiver Baughn, Jim - Defensive Tackle Berger, Greg - Defensive Back Blake, Joe - Defensive End Carr, Tom - Assistant Coach Corcoran, Sean Patrick "Jimmy" - Quarterback Davis, Tommy - Defensive Tackle Demzcuk, Sonny - Tight End DiMuzio, Tom - Quarterback/Halfback Diphillippo, Jerry - Linebacker Dolbin, Jack - Wide Receiver Foster, Jim - Linebacker Gravelle, Howard - Tight End Haynie, Jim - Quarterback Holliday, Ron - Flanker Land, John - Running Back Levandowski, Leo - Center Marshall, Bryan - Defensive Back McGuigan, Frank - Running Back Mitchell, Frank - Offensive Tackle Nauss, Herb - Defensive Back Puterbaugh, Bruce - Offensive Tackle Pyne, Ed - Kicker and Tight End Rakow, Billy - Defensive Back Ross, Sherman - Defensive Back Sarkisian, Tom - Offensive Tackle Stetz, Bill - Defensive Tackle Thrower, Jim - Defensive Back Watts, Claude - Running Back Weedman, Dave - Linebacker Wells, Harold - Linebacker Zegalia, Steve - Linebacker 1970 Staff and Coaches Team Owner - Ed Gruber President - Bob "Chuz" Calvario General Manager/Head Coach - Dave DiFilippo Head Offensive Coach - Ron Waller Head Defensive Coach - Andy Nelson Assistant Coach - Tom Carr Bomb Squad Coach - Pressly Lee Day Public Relations - Bill "Doc" Dougherty Public Relations - Denny "Peaches" Pietro Team Physician - Dr. Daniel Gross Trainer - Bill "Scotty" Scott Assistant Trainer - Bill Kirlin Equipment Manager - John DeGregorio Ball Boys - Dave Musser, Dave Katch, and Steve Cavallo References * Watch Lost Treasures of NFL Films Season 2 Episode 2 Pottstown Revisited (OVGuide) *Watch the DVD by NFL Films - Big Game America: Legends of Autumn Vol IV (features the Pottstown Firebirds revisited footage and was available at Amazon as of 12-26-12) * The Forgettables by Jay Acton - ISBN 0-690-00088-X Category:Sports clubs established in 1968 Category:Defunct American football teams in Pennsylvania Category:Atlantic Coast Football League